Analyses of glycosaminoglycans in human lung cancer

Composition of glycosaminoglycans in human pancreatic cancer

Five glycosaminoglycans were isolated from tryptic digestion of both cancerous and normal tissues of the human pancreas and were assayed by determining the carbohydrate content of materials. Separation of these five polymers was achieved by Dowex 1-X2 column chromatography and fractionation with Benedict's solution. They were identified as hyaluronic acid, heparan sulfate, dermatan sulfate, chondroitin-4-sulfate, and chondroitin-6-sulfate, respectively. The total amount of glycosaminoglycans in cancer tissue increased in comparison to the controls. The increase in tissue content of glycosaminoglycans was accompanied by increases in chondroitin-4-sulfate and chondroitin-6-sulfate levels.

Change of glycosaminoglycan in pus of patients with purulent pleurisy

The glycosaminoglycan content in pus from patients with purulent pleurisy was studied. The uronic acid content rose in the first 4 hospital days, continued at a high level during hospital days 5-8, and then fell to a low level after 9 hospital days. Four glycosaminoglycans were isolated from the preparation; they were identified as hyaluronic acid, chondroitin 4-sulfate, chondroitin 6-sulfate, and dermatan sulfate. Hyaluronic acid was the main component and its relative proportion increased with increasing hospital days. The relative proportions of chondroitin 4-sulfate and chondroitin 6-sulfate were low during the first 4 day and during Days 10-21, whereas they were high during Days 5-9. The proportion of dermatan sulfate was high during the early hospital days, and thereafter decreased with increasing hospital days.

Tissue content of glycosaminoglycans in the diffuse idiopathic interstitial fibrosis patient

Quantitative changes of glycosaminoglycans in lung tissues of patients with diffuse idiopathic interstitial fibrosis and patients with bronchial asthma were studied. The total amount of glycosaminoglycans in lung tissue of patients with diffuse idiopathic interstitial fibrosis increased in comparison to the lung tissue of those patients with bronchial asthma. The increase in tissue content of glycosaminoglycans was accompanied by an increase in dermatan sulfate level. The increases in total amount of glycosaminoglycans in relative proportion of dermatan sulfate were closely related to the clinical findings, including vital capacity of the lung, PaO2, serum lactate dehydrogenase, and to the pathologic pictures of the lung.